Category: Life

I had set the bar for my best effort for 3 miles. It was a 6.30 m/m. It near killed me, but that was it, best effort. I then upped the pace to 6.20 and failed badly on two attempts on tired legs. As I said in my last blog I was going to rest for a day or two then try again. On Friday I warmed up, rested for a minute and gave myself a stern talking to. “Do. Or do not. There is not try. And there is no ‘do not’. Do it, fatlad.” I set the pace at 6.15 and went for it. I battered it! I kept the pace up for 5k (3.1 miles) to see what my best speed was for the distance, then dropped the speed (still sub 7!) for 2 miles to get my breath back, then did the last mile of 10k at 6.30! Check me out! Catching my breath at sub 7! Straight after setting new PB. And finishing off with my previous PB! The thing is, it wasn’t that bad. I just stared ahead, concentrated on my breathing, got my pulse down to 150 ish, and carried on. As demonstrated by the extra .1 of a mile. Usually I’m playing mind tricks for the last 5 minutes, telling myself ‘after this is only a half mile, after the next minute it’s only a minute, 10 seconds, 9, …1,  STOP!’  This time I reckon I could have done another mile at that pace. So, so chuffed. After those failures earlier in the week I was worrying I might not be able to improve. I’d started to think that I’d hit my physical barrier. Which would have been doubly embarrassing as I’d not previously considered the possibility that I might have one, and I’ve told everyone my plans based on the assumption that graft = results. It would have been a monster portion of humble pie to choke down if I couldn’t have improved at all. Anyway, that is not a concern now. Mission Improbable is *ON*!   After such a glorious day yesterday, I went to hop on a trailer at work today and pulled my groin. D’oh! I tried to do some fast miles when I got in, but my legs weren’t having it. My shins were hurting and my groin was sore. My funky new watch arrived today. It is all-singing and all-dancing. I’m going to put it through it’s paces tomorrow. Probably slowly if my legs aren’t better.   I had a moment of epiphany earlier this week; I’m on mornings at the moment, I can join a running club! That is why I was testing my 5 and 10k times. The Spectrum Striders (Birchwood running club) train in three groups. The fast group is defined as 5k in 16-22 minutes, 10k in 33-44 m and a half marathon as 1.09- 1.34. I did 5k in 19.27 and 10k in 40.22. I’ve not tried a half marathon at […]

Just a brief blog before bed. 3 days off (glorious, it’s felt like a holiday, I don’t want to go back to work tomorrow) and I’ve found my mojo again. On Sunday I did some running on the treadmill, I forget what. Monday I set out to up the bar on my 3 mile best time. I managed 2½ miles at 6.20 m/m then cracked like an egg. To make up for it I went out and did a cold 10 mile run. My legs didn’t want to play, my breathing was tits, I thought I was going to have to turn back in the first mile. It got better in the second mile and then I found my rhythm. A shit slow rhythm, but a maintainable one. At the 5 mile point I was a minute off my default pace of 8 m/m so I girded my loins and upped the pace on the way back. One mile was 8.05, but I still managed to get back dead on 1 hour 20, ie 8m/m pace. I’ll take that. Today I tried again on the tready, but broke after 1½ miles. I did a few more minutes at different speeds then reset the machine to 7½ m/m and went for 10 miles. This is different to outdoor running. On the one hand you don’t have to worry about your pace dropping off, but on the other you aren’t running to the next mile marker, you just have an hour and fifteen minutes to endure. At the hour point I thought I’d better check what exactly ten miles is in French (stupid km/ h machine) and to my horror found it was 16.09 k’s. I was only at 11 something. I ramped up the speed to a sub 7 m/m pace and went for it. It nearly killed me but I battered the next mile and a half before realising I’d set it too fast and was going to easily make it. I slowed it down to just under 7 m/m for the last half mile. I finished 16.01 (slight confusion over where the ‘1’ was in my mind, so 80 meters short) in 1.12:54 I’ve just battered my brain working out that the .08 of a K is 80 meters, and at 7m/m pace that would take 20 seconds, so call it 1.13:14. My target, on tired legs, was to do 30 seconds per mile faster than yesterday, which would have been 1.15, so I battered that and did a heroic and apparently unnecessary, catch up on the last two miles. I’m happy with that.   I’ll give it two days to rest my legs a bit and then I’m going to raise the bar on the 3 mile pace. I’ve done 6½ m/m, this time I’m aiming for 6:15. Then it’s only 15 seconds per mile off starting that bloody evil training plan.   I’ve found the ideal race for getting me started on Mission Improbable. The Manchester marathon, […]

What a farce this week was. I went in work on Monday and they officially told me that my job had been given to a full-timer and if I wanted any work I’d have to go to Crewe. They said to think about it and tell them on Tuesday. I went in on Tuesday and they were surprised and confused. Apparently that was it on Monday; either commute 350 miles a week to Crewe or bugger off. Oh. I said I couldn’t do Crewe and was all set for going home, but then they swapped stuff around and sent me on my usual run after all. Bugger. The agency rang me shortly after to tell me what I’d just found out, that I was without work. They said I could have Wednesday off, work Thursday and Friday for some other firm, then they’d put me back in Irlam on Monday on a different job, 0800 start. Nice one! I’d barely put the ‘phone down when Irlam rang me on the truck ‘phone again. They had work for me in Knowsley. I said the agency had just been on and arranged work for me for the rest of the week, back in Irlam Monday. He said that was an ad hoc job and they wouldn’t need me Monday. *headsteeringwheel* He rang the agency and then rang me back five minutes later about the Knowsley gig. “I’m going to make you this one time offer”,  “I’ve stuck my neck out to get you this”, “You either take this or that’s the end of your career with Ceva.” Honestly. No shit. He actually said that bollocks. I said I’d do it, just to shut him up. I got finished at 23.45 on Tuesday, home and in bed for 0100, had to be up for 0745. I was already knackered, after a couple of long days, that was a killer. I went in to do the “Trunking… It will be right up your street” only to find it was shunting around the yard and short distance general haulage. Ace. This was picking up and dropping off pallets of newspapers. To new places I’d never been, down routes I didn’t know. I did the first run without too many problems. I came back, got tipped, and loaded. I set off to the second drop. When I got there the whole load had tilted over. It was all leant against one curtain. The papers were still on their pallets, still wrapped, but the wrap didn’t go around the pallet so they had just tipped sideways.  The depot refused the load and I had to take it back to the yard. On my first day at the new gig. Then on the way back the M60 was bollocksed and I got stuck in it so went a few minutes over my driving time. I was thinking ‘ah well, at least I won’t have to face them tomorrow’ (as I’d be so sacked off.) They told me to […]

As ever, interesting times. A week and a half into Mission Improbable and I’ve had to re-evaluate my strategy. I arbitrarily set the bar at 6 minute/ mile and told my body to get a grip and get on with it. Ten days in and I was still dying at 1½ miles. I just couldn’t keep it going. The heat is incredible and I just can’t seem to breathe enough air in. I did a quick re-think of my goals. First I have to concentrate on cracking the 3 hour barrier. Then, the next year possibly try to win a marathon. With this in mind I went on to the Runner’s World website and found a sub 3 marathon plan. Week 1, day 3: Run 3 miles at 6m/m. Oh. Second rethink. Do what I should have done from the offset; find my body’s baseline of fitness and build from there. Today I ran 2 miles at 7 m/m, that was no problem at least. I was worried my fitness in going long had completely gone. Without pausing I cranked it up to 6½ m/m and did a mile and a half. I’m going to try again tomorrow just at 6½ m/m pace. If three miles is the starting fast distance I need to know what my maximum speed is and build from there. Also today I had a genius thought and went to the charity shop near us that deals in home furnishings and electrical goods and got a fan on a stand. It looks like it could do that “Maxell; break the sound barrier” thing. Yeah, keeping it real for the yoof of today with my contemporary cultural references. Anywho, see how I fare tomorrow with coolness.   In other news, I got a text this morning saying to ring work, (the haulage company, not the agency) did so, seems they have too many drivers at Irlam and have no further use for me, but want me to work out of Crewe. That would be a 70 mile daily commute, and I know they have already told Crewe depot that it is being closed before March next year. Bugger. In the grand scheme of things it might be a good thing. I’m not on good money or great shifts and there is no prospect of me being taken on off the agency here, it’s just that I know this job and am very comfortable doing it. I’m scared of trying something new. Now I have no choice. Ho hum. I’ve applied for one with Walkers Crisps working out of Birchwood and I’ll apply for some more on Monday morning when the agencies are up and running. Buggery bugger! Not good with being assessed or doing new things. It’s all just driving, I shouldn’t get stressed, but there you go.   Wendy’s having loads of issues with that gall bladder thing. She got a letter last week saying she has and appointment to see the consultant on the 14th […]

Finally got my arse into gear this weekend. Admittedly I couldn’t really start my Mission Improbable training any earlier, my knee was knackered after that marathon so I had to rest it. I could have started everything else, mind. I picked up my pencil and tattoo gun today. I can’t draw a bath, but you’ve got to start somewhere. It took me an hour or so to work out how to get the bloody tattoo gun assembled and working. I did the tracing and printing thing on some fake skin they sent with it (didn’t do too well, first one I wiped off!) then set to tattooing it. I was at it about half an hour when the power pack for the gun made a cracking noise and that was that. Marvellous. I’ve ordered a new power pack, this time with a fuse, (who builds electrical goods or plugs without a fuse? I didn’t even think to check.) for a princely £7.99 with P&P. I think you’ll agree I’ve pretty much mastered the art though;   So, who’s first? OK, maybe a little more practice. I’ve set myself an arbitrary goal of having it cracked by the time I’m 50, which is over 2½ years away.   I started dieting last week as well. This time it’s serious. I need to get down to 9 to 9½ stone I reckon. I’m going to look wretched but it’s not about the aesthetic, it’s trying to shift the least lard at the fastest pace for 26.2 miles. Which is, as I’ve already mention, my Mission Improbable. I started that yesterday. It’s even harder than I remembered. I kind of thought with my endurance training and such I would be fit enough to go fast, but it’s a whole different ball game. I warmed up then put it at 6 m/m pace and went for it. Within 2 minutes the sweat was streaming off me, I was gasping for air (there just wasn’t any) and I was dying to quit. I had a mile starting point in mind though so I forced myself to do the full six minutes. So. Hard. Then, just for shit and giggles I tried the 5 m/m pace I need to be at. One minute was all I could take. So, just 134 more minutes to go. Today I did 6 m/m again, I was feeling fine for 4 minutes thought I was on for at least 2 miles, then at 5½ minutes it hit me really hard. I managed to do 7 minutes though. If I could improve by a minute a day it would only take me 150 days to get to marathon distance. I can’t see that happening, but you never know, I might adjust to the pace. I hope so. Then I have to start all over again at 5 m/m. It really is an Everest of an ambition. Tomorrow it’s another run and drawing practice in the morning, then back on my bike […]